The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.

Loading ...

Loading ...

This story appears in the {{article.article.magazine.pretty_date}} issue of {{article.article.magazine.pubName}}. Subscribe

Research suggests that selfish people tend to win life's sprints, while more selfless people win life's marathons. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Do nice guys—and nice girls—finish last? Research suggests (as would decency and common sense) that, while they might fall behind in the short term, they tend to win out over the long haul.

In short, jerks and narcissists seem to be able to win the sprints of life. But decent, unselfish people seem to win the marathons.

Psychologist Jean Twenge tells me that her studies into narcissism suggest that narcissists are well-equipped to seize leadership roles and attention—but that there’s less evidence than the narcissists would want to believe that their ultimate impact of their efforts is beneficial for themselves or others.

Niceness can have a short-term cost. “Those who score lower on agreeableness do make more money,” Twenge tells me. How much more? She pointed me to a 2011 study, co-authored by Notre Dame professor Timothy Judge, which indicated that disagreeable men make an average of 18 percent, or nearly $10,000, more than the average agreeable guy.

(In comparison, disagreeable women took home 5 percent more in income than agreeable women. That’s not nearly as high a bump, for whatever number of reasons, but it does suggest that the jerk bonus applies across genders.)

Granted, not all jerks are narcissists. But being a jerk comes naturally, at some point, to most narcissists. Their interests will inevitably diverge from yours, and at that point they will be unable to feel empathy for your interests. And they will act accordingly.

Twenge suggests that doormat types can learn to stand up for themselves, and that there’s a gap between being assertive and being a narcissist. “Learning how to assert yourself can be beneficial,” she tells me. “But you have to walk a fine line. Just don’t overdo it, and don’t be a full-blown jerk.”

A little equanimity can help during the exhausting marathon of your career. Notre Dame expert Tim Judge would report in a subsequent study that ambitious persons scored high in conventional measures of success—but not in meaningful measures of happiness or longevity. “If your biggest wish for your children is that they lead happy and healthy lives,” Judge argued, “you might not want to overemphasize professional success."

Psychologist and career coach Bill Dyment goes a step farther. “What we know for sure from the research,” Dyment tells me, “is that those who make it their primary goal in life to serve others and who are more financially generous will live longer and are far happier, than those who pursue their own bliss directly.”

Dyment, co-author of Fire Your Excuses, says that the ambitious (and perhaps narcissistic) quest for fortune and fame often serendipitously leads to something more gratifying. “Quite a number of us fall into our most significant and fulfilling life work only after following our passion didn’t work out so well,” he says.

By contrast, the narcissistic jerk may be better equipped to race up the ladder of his or her choosing (see here for a wonderful illustration of this from the good folks at Despair.com). It should give us some satisfaction to know that they usually race up the wrong ladder.

Do you envy the narcissists in your life? Have you found ways to assert yourself without going too far? You’re invited to share your own insights and experiences with our Forbes.com community in the comments section. And hit “Follow” at the top of the page to receive notification of more career and management advice from Rob Asghar.